New decree expands e-ID app, cuts paperwork and public service fees

State agencies and public service providers will no longer be allowed to demand original or copied documents from citizens once that paperwork has already been integrated into the national electronic identification app, under a new decree set to take effect on September 28.

The government issued Decree 320, which amends Decree 69 on electronic identification and authentication.

Under the revised rules, once a document is integrated into the national ID app, agencies handling administrative procedures, public services, or civil transactions must retrieve the information directly from the system rather than requiring people to submit it again.

Administrative and public services processed online through the app will also qualify for reduced or waived fees, according to the decree.

The overhaul also significantly expands the range of paperwork available through the app. Starting in late September, 66 categories of personal documents, including passports, driver's licenses and residency confirmations, will be integrated into the system, alongside 140 types of documents issued to businesses and organisations, such as business licenses, import-export permits and seal registration certificates.

The decree also introduces a new 'social welfare account' feature within the app, allowing individuals to link a bank account, e-wallet, or mobile money account to receive pension payments, subsidies, and other government welfare disbursements directly.

To keep the system current, the government will require issuing agencies to update any document in the app immediately after changes occur, and it laid out a mechanism for other non-classified documents to sync automatically into the platform once an issuing agency's database is connected to it.

The decree also further widens eligibility for electronic ID accounts to more foreign nationals residing in Vietnam.

On data access, state agencies and political or socio-political organisations may pull information relevant to their own functions, and individuals and organisations can access their own records.

Anyone seeking another party's information through the app, however, will first need that party's consent.

- (VNA/VLLF)